On
an average day, some 100 million tons of carbon dioxide is liberated
from oil and coal by combustion, wafting into the air. The gas traps
heat in the atmosphere, resulting in the gradual warming that has alarmed scientists and much of the public.

But
only half of the carbon dioxide stays up there; the other half falls
back to earth. While scientists know what happens to half of that half —
it dissolves into the oceans — the rest is a continuing puzzle. It is
taken up by growing plants, but nobody knows exactly where and how.
“Somewhere on earth, on land, one-quarter of all our carbon emissions
released through fossil fuel emissions is disappearing,” said David
Crisp, a senior research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We can’t identify the processes responsible for this. Wouldn’t it be nice to know where?”

Now NASA is launching a satellite to help solve the puzzle.

The
satellite, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, is scheduled to lift off
Tuesday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Passing
over the North and South Poles at an altitude of 438 miles, it will
observe the same spots every 16 days as the earth rotates beneath.

These
repeated measurements will allow scientists to observe the rise and
fall of carbon dioxide with the seasons. They may also figure out how
the balance changes with droughts or floods.

That
should give them a better idea of whether the oceans and land plants
will continue to absorb half of the carbon dioxide emissions as in the
past or whether any of these so-called carbon sinks are close to
overflowing, leaving even more gas in the air.

In
particular, scientists do not understand how plants have kept pace with
fossil fuel emissions that have nearly tripled since 1960. “Have you
seen a new rain forest spring out of nowhere that wasn’t there before?”
asked Dr. Crisp, the leader of the science team for the mission. “No.”

The
orbiting observatory carries a single instrument, to measure colors of
sunlight bouncing off the earth. The relative intensity of the colors
will tell how much carbon dioxide the light beam passed through, and the
spacecraft will take a million measurements a day.

Because
of intervening clouds, only a tenth of the measurements — about 100,000
a day — will prove useful data. Still, that will dwarf what 150 carbon
dioxide measuring stations on the ground are able to provide. A Japanese
satellite is making similar measurements, but with less precision.

An earlier Orbiting Carbon Observatory mission failed
in 2009, when the clamshell nose cone surrounding the spacecraft did
not open and the satellite splashed into the ocean a few minutes after
liftoff — a $273 million loss. “That was a heartbreak, utter
devastation,” said Ralph R. Basilio, the project manager for the current
mission.

At
the end of 2009, the Obama administration decided to build a nearly
identical satellite scheduled for launch in February 2013. But those
plans were disrupted when the same launch failure that had doomed the
first mission occurred again, destroying another NASA satellite, the
Glory mission, in 2011.

The
space agency then decided to switch rockets, putting the new satellite
on a Delta 2 rocket, which has long history of successful launches.

The
switch delayed the launching date, and the bigger Delta 2 added to the
cost — which totaled $467.5 million this time. The cost also includes an
extra copy of the carbon dioxide measuring instrument, which was built
to ensure against delays if problems arose during testing. That extra
instrument may be flown to the International Space Station to provide
another set of observations.

Levels
of carbon dioxide in the air have jumped 40 percent since the start of
the Industrial Revolution, but the amount is still tiny: Of every
million molecules of air, just 400 are carbon dioxide. Over a power
plant or a city where emissions are higher, that number rises by perhaps
one molecule per million. A field of corn stalks at the height of
growing season might reduce the number by a similar amount.

To
detect such minute changes, Dr. Crisp said, the parts of the 300-pound
instrument had to be aligned within the width of a human hair. The
scientists think they may also be able to discern a faint infrared
fluorescent glow emitted by plants as they photosynthesize, which could
indicate their health.

The
Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 is part of a busy year for NASA’s earth
sciences division — the second of five launches — reflecting increased
financing for this segment of NASA even as other parts have been
squeezed by tight budgets.

Michael
Freilich, director of the earth sciences division, said, “There is no
question that the Obama administration puts a very high priority on
understanding the earth.”

A version of this article appears in print on June 30, 2014, on page A14 of the New York edition with the headline: NASA Launching Satellite to Track Carbon. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe

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Fire Protection

Within This Page

Overview

The United States has the highest fire losses in terms of both
frequency and total losses of any modern technological society. New
facilities and renovation projects need to be designed to incorporate
efficient, cost-effective
passive and automatic fire protection systems. These systems are
effective in detecting, containing, and controlling and/or extinguishing
a fire event in the early stages. Fire protection engineers must be involved in all aspects of the design
in order to ensure a reasonable degree of protection of human life from
fire and the products of combustion as well as to reduce the potential
loss from fire (i.e., real and personal property, information,
organizational operations). Planning for fire protection in/around a
building involves knowing the four sources of fire: natural, manmade,
wildfire and incidental and taking an integrated systems approach
that enables the designer to analyze all of the building's components
as a total building fire safety system package. The analysis requires
more than code compliance or meeting the minimum legal responsibilities
for protecting a building; that is, building and fire codes are intended
to protect against loss of life and limit fire impact on the community
and do not necessarily protect the mission or assets, or solve problems
brought upon by new projects with unique circumstances. Therefore, it is
necessary to creatively and efficiently integrate code requirements
with other fire safety measures as well as other design strategies to
achieve a balanced design that will provide the desired levels of safety
(evacuation, recovery, egress/smoke. Identify critical systems: diesel
generators, etc.).

Recommendations

Issues to address in developing a successful fire protection design usually include:Design Team—It is most important that
the project delivery team include a Fire Protection Engineer with
adequate experience and knowledge in fire protection and life safety
design. The Fire Protection Engineer should be involved in all phases of
design, from planning to occupancy.Design Standards and Criteria (i.e.,
Building Code, etc.)—to be utilized by the design team, including
statutory requirements, voluntary requirements addressing owner's
performance needs, and requirements that are sometimes imposed by
insurance carriers on commercial projects.Site Requirements—A quality site design
will integrate performance requirements associated with fire department
access, suppression, and separation distances and site/building
security.

Related Issues

Balancing Safe and Secure Design Requirements

The concern for terrorist attacks has caused design and
engineering professionals to address integrated fire protection and
security measures for the building site as well as within the building.
For example, perimeter protection measures must be well-designed to
ensure that fire departments can still access sites and buildings.
Another example is the increased need to coordinate HVAC design and
proper automatic emergency operations in the event of a fire or
chemical/biological/radiological (CBR) event.
Virtually every project that requires fire protection must also meet sustainability goals. Thus, it is important to balance security/safety goals with those for sustainability for example, specify fire resistant materials that are durable and can meet green products standards whenever possible. Further, consider life-cycle cost when making decisions on materials, equipment and systems.

Mass Notification

Notifying building occupants and visitors both inside and outside
facilities of hazardous events has become a critical aspect of personnel
safety and health. Whether it is a fire, chemical spill, criminal
activity, or act of terrorism, everyone in the vicinity of such events
must be warned so they know whether to shelter in place or
flee—including which direction to go. Mass notification systems can be
employed in single buildings or on campuses and military bases. Notices
can be sent over loudspeakers, to computer monitors and to cell phones.
See UFC 4-021-01 Design and O&M: Mass Notification Systems

Bollard Spacing

Bollard spacing for accessibility related to access for fire vehicles and personnel. The Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act
calls for bollards to have 36 inch clear space between them to meet
clear opening requirements. Site security designers need to balance
security with access, considering bollard location and spacing
respective to vehicular traffic, bus stops, hardened street furniture,
and pedestrian traffic. Innovative arrangements of passive bollards and
use of active barriers permit access while providing security.

Related Issues

Green Roofs

With the proliferation of vegetative roofs on buildings to reduce
heat island effect and control storm water runoff, consideration must be
given to firefighters having to ventilate a structure during a major
fire event. Provide adequate roof hatches and other access points for
firefighters.

Permeable Pavement

Permeable pavement is being specified more frequently as a means
of controlling storm water runoff from building sites. Not all types of
permeable pavement are designed to hold emergency fire and rescue
vehicles. Coordinate with site designer/landscape architect to ensure
permeable pavement selected will meet load requirements of emergency
vehicles. Another option to consider is to use permeable pavement in
parking lots for passenger vehicles and standard pavement for access
roads, loading docks and driveways to building entrances.

Occupant Emergency Plan

Occupant emergency plans are an integral part of an emergency
management program. Properly developed plans can reduce the risk to
personnel, property, and other assets while minimizing work disruption
during and immediately following an emergency. See U.S. Department of Energy Model Occupant Emergency Plan.

Relevant Codes and Standards

Building codes and fire codes vary across the nation. For federal
projects, consult with the appropriate federal agency or the Contracting
Officer. For non-federal projects consult with the appropriate building
code and fire code official, for minimum and recommended fire safety
measures.

About Me

New Trier High School, Winnetka Illinois.... cancer survivor...NYU Grad School of Film and TV...Film Editor....Training Audio/Visual Writer for US Coast Guard...audio visual producer and public relations writer..had some pretty awful bumps along the way (haven't we all) --glad to still be around and in touch with so many friends from the past